Village boy Impressions

Photo credit: liyouthsafetycoalition.org It is not uncommon to find derogatory expressions and remarks with the use of Tramadol on social media and other media of communication. The unfortunate trend must not be allowed to continue unabated. Tramadol is an FDA approved prescription drug for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is a mainstream drug in the country’s health system for the management of pain. For the drug to be associated with derogatory comments in everyday Ghanaian communication should be a cause of worry. Tramadol is a synthetic opioid drug and like other opioid drugs interferes with normal release of neurotransmitters, chemical mediators. This could lead to drug dependence and tolerance on continued repeated use. Drug dependence develops due to debilitating withdrawal symptoms and tolerance results when higher than normal doses are needed to elicit drug action. Affected individual thus need a continued and higher than normal doses of the drug for comf

Photo credit: liyouthsafetycoalition.org Hitherto I had no sympathy on drug addicts or drug dependents. I had thought of their situation as a free will choice to continue to engage in substance abuse. In my ignorance, I thought that they could on any day take a decision to cut off from substance abuse if they so wished. I showed outright scorn against addicts. Not even remorseful feelings of addicts during their subtle withdrawal and subsequent relapse could make me see an invisible force at play against them, for me to at least revise my harsh thoughts of deliberate irresponsible behavior attributed to them. Many like my former self, assume addicts hold onto the chains of the misery of substance abuse willingly. I, however, had my prejudices against addicts reversed when I took the course “Drug Tolerance and Dependence” under the veritable Prof Lutterodt as part of my training for an MPhil Pharmacology degree. My ignorant assumptions against addicts got cured after the course